Authorities mount inquiry in wake of new rules holding officials responsible for life for serious environmental damage
2-MIN READ2-MINCao Jiaxuanin BeijingPublished: 9:58pm, 7 Sep 2026Updated: 10:00pm, 7 Sep 2026Authorities in central China have joined forces in an effort to investigate suspected industrial dumping on the Yangtze River following the release of rare drone footage of the activity.The environment bureau in the Hubei city of Wuhan said on Monday that it had launched the inquiry in association with police and transport authorities.
The investigation was spurred by the release of drone footage online on Sunday showing barges discharging an unknown black substance into the river near Tianxingzhou, an islet in the Wuhan section of the Yangtze.
Tianxingzhou is home to a facility that supplies about 3,000 tonnes of water daily to roughly 800 residents, according to 2024 data from Hubei’s water resources department.
In the footage posted on the account “Fishing and Hunting Brother Qi”, a barge stops in the middle of the river and dumps its load within about 10 seconds, leaving a dark plume several times the length of the vessel.
